Terry S. Semel and Jane Bovington Semel have donated $25 million to endow the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California atLos Angeles (UCLA). The gift is one of the nation’s largest dedicated exclusively to the better understanding of the brain, according to Peter Whybrow, M.D., the institute’s director.
Semel, who is the chair and chief executive officer of Yahoo Inc.,and his wife will lay the cornerstone of an academic-community partnership facilitating a better public understanding of the brain and of complexhuman behavior through science, education and compassion, according to Whybrow.
The Semel gift will support research and community education programs to address the understanding and treatment of such diverse illnesses asautism, mood disorders, addiction, and Alzheimer’s disease. In recognition of the Semels’ generosity, the institute will be renamed the Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. Jane Semel will chair the institute’s Board of Community Counselors.
Prior to joining Yahoo, Semel spent 24 years at Warner Bros.,notably as chair and co-chief executive officer. Jane Semel is founder of ijane inc., a nonprofit production company that works to address public health issues through entertainment. She launched FaceTheIssue.com, an integrated broadcast and online public service campaign that aimed to raise awareness of common emotional and physical health issues faced by young adults. The campaign was narrated by Hollywood’s top female entertainers, including Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Since its founding five decades ago, the Neuropsychiatric Institute has gained a worldwide reputation for the high quality of its clinical services and comprehensive research program. More information about the Semels’ donation is posted at http://newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=5302